Coelacanth vs Green Sea Turtle

Latimeria chalumnae compared with Chelonia mydas

Key Differences

• Coelacanth is Critically Endangered while Green Sea Turtle is Endangered.
• Coelacanth is carnivore while Green Sea Turtle is herbivore.
• Green Sea Turtle is 2.5x heavier than Coelacanth.
• Coelacanth lives longer (100 years vs 80 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coelacanth	Green Sea Turtle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Coelacanthi (Coelacanthi)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Coelacanthiformes (Coelacanthiformes)	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)
Family	Latimeriidae	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Latimeria	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Latimeria chalumnae	Chelonia mydas

Evolutionary Relationship

Coelacanth and Green Sea Turtle share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Coelacanth

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~500

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Green Sea Turtle

EN — Endangered

Population: ~85.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coelacanth	Green Sea Turtle
Diet	Carnivore	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	100 years	80 years
Average Length	1.8 m	1.2 m
Average Weight	80.0 kg	200.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coelacanth

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Afrotropic and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Comoros, Indonesia, Mozambique, and South Africa. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Green Sea Turtle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Mexico. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Coelacanth

A living fossil thought extinct for 65 million years until rediscovered off South Africa in 1938, coelacanths can reach 2 meters and 90 kg. They belong to an ancient lobe-finned lineage more closely related to tetrapods than to ray-finned fish, making them scientifically invaluable for understanding vertebrate evolution. Found in deep rocky reef habitats of the Indian Ocean, they are nocturnal and undergo internal fertilization, giving birth to fully formed live young. Critically Endangered.

Green Sea Turtle

The green sea turtle is one of the largest sea turtles. They are named for the green color of their cartilage and fat, not their shells.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇮🇩 Indonesia